Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB)

The Challenge

Addressing the Systemic Challenges

The Upper Grand District School Board’s (UGDSB) Program Services team faced a host of challenges standing between educators and the resources and training required to thrive. It needed a solution to address teacher shortages, evolving learning preferences, and the demand for current, targeted PD offerings to enhance effectiveness, job satisfaction and student outcomes.

The pandemic amplified these challenges, increasing the need for flexible professional learning to mitigate its impacts. During this period, VLEs became the preferred method for accessing PD and educators developed an appetite for grab-and-go resources and targeted micro-learning modules.

In response, the Program Services team turned to D2L Brightspace, its learning management system (LMS), to create its own professional learning platform—Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn—for teachers and principals.

“The Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn platform has proven to be a cornerstone of change. By addressing systemic challenges like teacher shortages, shifting learning preferences and the disorganization of resources, this platform has created a space where every educator can thrive. It has provided flexible, targeted and impactful professional learning opportunities that are accessible anytime, anywhere—a true game-changer in today’s fast-paced educational landscape.” shares, Peter Sovran, director of education and CEO of UGDSB. 

The Solution

Leveraging D2L Brightspace

The Program Team started by developing comprehensive, curriculum-supported resources and launched Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn for all Grade 3, 6 and 9 educators, ensuring that learning objectives met with contemporary needs and challenges. The design philosophy centered around creating effective and engaging learning experiences, ensuring that education aligns with contemporary demands.

Some of the needs addressed include:

• tailored learning paths for both teachers and principals, featuring customized courses specific to their roles and responsibilities
• targeted content delivery based on factors like role, grade, subject and personal interest
• adaptive and continues learning support through the seamless integration of emerging technologies
• flexible course design and maintenance allowing for courses to be built, rearranged and even deleted to reflect the dynamic landscape of education

Educators can access self-serve, pre-programmed Innovation Lab resources and are empowered to create their own shareable content using diverse instructional modes, including podcasts, video clips, animations, photos, voice-over videos, quizzes, assignments and lectures.

Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn models effective instructional and assessment practices. Through various collaborations, the Program Services team ensures that the platform hosts tools signed with the latest and greatest pedagogical advancements.

The Result

Impactful improvements for students

The results are in: UGDSB Program Services’ Let’s GO! UGDSB is a success. Evidence from teachers and principals show that educators who actively use Let’s Go! UGDSB Learn are experiencing clear and impactful improvements in various outcomes.

Educators report that activities and resources on Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn are deepening their understanding of concepts needed to address learning gaps. Teachers can better tailor their instructional strategies to meet individual student needs with more precision, and they are seeing positive impacts.

Math interventions based on “Grade 3 Essentials for Success” led to 67% of students moving out of risk categories. The early reading intervention series supported an average improvement in student achievement of 26% during the first 10-week cycle. “These numbers are not just statistics—they represent transformed lives, empowered teachers and a brighter future for our students.” says Sovran.

Specific courses, interventions, resources and enhanced teaching methods, along with empowering professional development, have led to tremendous successes for educators and students alike.

In speaking about the “Grade 3 Essentials for Success,” Megan Rhazi a grade 2/3 teacher calls the resource “invaluable.” She adds, “The materials are thoughtfully organized, easy to locate and implement, and adaptable to meet the diverse needs of my learners. I’ve seen improvements in student engagement and progress, and I feel more confident in my ability to deliver targeted, impactful lessons.”

Marked improvements across all grades directly correlate with how teacher training initiatives impact student performance gains. The UGDSB has enjoyed measurable year-over-year progress.

To highlight the reach and effectiveness of the Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn platform, an analysis was conducted to examine engagement and impact with the Grade 3 and Grade 6 Essentials Professional Learning VLE. The adoption results are as follows:

• Grade 3 Educators: Despite only having 199 Grade 3 teachers there have been 1,080 log-ins to the Grade 3 Essentials for Success Professional Learning VLE, resulting in an access rate of 543%.
• Grade 6 Educators: With only 140 Grade 6 teachers, 740 log-ins to the Grade 6 Essentials for Success Professional Learning VLE, represents an access rate of 529%.

These access rates reflect the extensive utilization of the platform not only by educators assigned to these grades but also to others seeking valuable instructional resources in a digital format.

Brightspace has played a pivotal role in improving efficiency, effectiveness, completion and satisfaction among educators. The platform’s user-friendly design, targeted content delivery and innovative features align with the organization’s goals, providing a replicable model for other institutions seeking similar outcomes in professional development and educational practices. Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn is a resounding success story.

Dominique Davies, a grade 2/3 teacher at the UGDSB sums it up nicely, “Rarely do we encounter tools that so effortlessly integrate into our teaching practices while delivering immediate, transformative benefits. The Let’s GO! UGDSB Learn VLE has been nothing short of revolutionary. As a Grade 2/3 teacher, it’s difficult to pinpoint a single favorite feature, as the platform has elevated many of my instructional approaches.”